Hall of Famer still doing it the right way

For 30 years, from the day he was drafted in June 1978, Ryne Sandberg thought of himself as a professional baseball player.

It wasn't merely his job; it was his identity.

His life.

After four years of climbing the minor-league ladder, he was a major-leaguer, then an all-star, an MVP and - finally - a Hall of Famer.

Not anymore.

"I'm a professional baseball manager trying to teach young players the ropes and get them ready for the big leagues,'' said Sandberg, in his second year as the skipper at Peoria (A). "I'm engulfed by it. It's takes up every minute of my time, mentally and physically.

"Sometimes you're the mom and dad, the manager, the batting-practice pitcher, the teacher, and I figure I'll drive the bus at some point here.

"I go to bed thinking about it, and I wake up thinking about it. I love it, even on the nights when I toss and turn and can't figure out what to try next to turn it around, or what to do next when things are going well.

"It's the same as I was as a player, very organized and worrying about the details, and how to improve every day. It feels a lot the same.''

Stunning words considering that few Hall of Famers are willing to go back to the beginning and start anew as though they're owed nothing, but having done it this way, Sandberg can't imagine it any other way.

"I'm just like any other minor-league manager trying to make it to the big leagues, starting from the bottom, working my way up, just like I had to do as a player,'' Sandberg said Tuesday. "When the game starts, I feel like I'm competing against the other manager and we're equals.''

There was great shock around the game when Sandberg took an A-ball job, and some surprise when he returned for a second season of long bus rides to and from Peoria, where he's not ashamed to say he lacked confidence in his first months as the boss.

"I have no problem admitting that. I was like a first- grader checking in for school, trying to find out where to go,'' Sandberg said. "I feel so comfortable and confident now that it feels like I was meant to do this.

"I know what I'm getting out of it, so how people look at it doesn't really enter my mind too much. I never worried about it as a player, either. I just want to be good at it.

"Last year I went into it wondering if this was what I wanted to do. This year I went into it wanting to get better, and I couldn't be happier about the job and the progress the players are making.''

Sandberg, who brings the Chiefs to Kane County for three games beginning tonight, admits that every day brings new challenges, some more complicated than others.

"The team is coming together, but it was like pulling teeth at the start,'' Sandberg laughed. "In April, on three different occasions, we stayed after the game on the road and ran the bases under the lights.''

Sounds like you've got a little Herb Brooks in you.

"Well, now I've been told that we run the bases harder than any team in the organization,'' Sandberg said. "We're doing things the right way, and we've gotten the message across to them.''

After a tough start, the Chiefs went on a 16-6 run into the break, and with a 12-7 opening of the second half, they're tied for first place.

"It's encouraging to see guys improve as players and see it show up in victories,'' Sandberg said. "It's pretty fulfilling at the end of the day, especially when players are doing well and the team is getting better.

"My No. 1 goal is to get them to the big leagues, and it feels good when you see the progress.''

The Chiefs will get an opportunity to experience the big leagues - at least for a night - on July 29, when they take on the Cougars at Wrigley Field, an event thought to be the first minor-league game ever played at the old yard.

"That will be great for both teams, for the managers, for everyone,'' said the 48-year-old Sandberg. "The players know what it means. They watch the Cub games on TV.

"For some, it's the chance of a lifetime. For others, maybe a preview. The whole idea is to give them the incentive of seeing where they could play if they do their work, if they do what they need to do to get to that level.''

And what about for this Ryne Sandberg, returning not as a conquering hero or as a Hall of Famer but rather as someone who wants someday to occupy the spot where Lou Piniella now sits?

"It'll definitely be a different vantage point,'' Sandberg chuckled. "I won't be on my way into the park thinking about the wind, or the height of the grass, or the condition of the infield.

"I'll be in the dugout, or coaching third, and it's exciting because I have the same goal the players do: to get to the big leagues.

"I try not to get caught up in timetables or anything like that. I can't help but look ahead and think about one day doing this at the major- league level.

"It's something dangling out there in front of me, inspiring me to work as hard as I did (as a player), because it's something I really want to do.

"So I take every day seriously as a chance to learn, and if the opportunity ever came, I want to make sure I'm ready - even if it comes next year.''

brozner@dailyherald.com